The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-01-28
miscellaneous.
Foa The -EgiS and LHttRiqeHcer.
Farmer Ruts' Old Worm Fence.

A Story of the New ID. &. d =. IL. II.

n story OF the new ID. 4. N y. Is. IL.
One cold windy afternoon old farmer Ruts
was hard at work resetting and fixing up an
old worm fence which a late wind-stOrm had
blown down. 1t was not the sort of weather
one would choose for such work, but farmer
Ruts was not the man to hang back from a
Job of work that had to be done, because
the weather was disagreeable. The work
was hard, for the ground was frozen stiff and
the cold wind benumbed his fingers. Be
sides he was much inclined to grumblc when
he thought how often he had fixed up that
old fence, for it ran along the side of a high
hill and had frequently blown down before
this time.
His young neighbor Jim Goahead, had
asked him why he did not put up post-aud-
rail or wire fence Oh that hill that the wind
would not blow down every time there was
a heavy blow from the northwest but he
had answered, That worm fence had been
thar ever sence | rekcrlect and rek'n it will
do" So he was not pleased when he looked
up to see Jim GOahead riding down the road
near to which he had worked his way by
this time.
When Jim came near, lie called out, "Why
wern't you at the railroad meeting ?"
"What railroad meetin :" asked Ruts.
"Why the railroad meelin'" at Church
vile. You don't mean to say you haven't
heard of it, and you only two miles from
there?" asked Jim in turn.
"Wall, no, b'live did see somethin' in
the paper bout railroad meetin' but l
hadn't eny thing to do with that-it warnt
no concern o mine"
mo concern O yours! I'd like to know
who it does concern, if it don't concern you
Why you are eight or nine miles from q rail
hn,, ta h,,ii
one almost at your door you say it's no con-
O. land here, too"
wall, don't see as has much use for a
railroad eny how, hev your
"Well | think have and thought so a
little while ago when subscribed five hun
dred dollars for the new railroad if they
would build it through Churchville."
Five hundred dollars Hev we lost yer
Senses Jim Goahead. Ye amt paid fur yer
farm yet, hev YEP"
mo, | bought it eight years ago, and gave
seven thousand dollars for it, and only had
two thousand cash to pay on it then, and
have got one thousand to pay on it yet. But
if can get the railroad, I'll count that as
good as paid"
"Wall, don't see how We make that out.
Seems to me yell be five hundred more out
O pocket when ye hev' to pay yer 'scripton."
"Well, I'll tell you how it pears to me.
My farm has got two hundred acres in it and
| calculate it will bring five TO ten dollars
more an acre, if l want to sell it, when the
railroad comes within a mile or so of it. May
be you don't believe that, but l do. Why
do you know was up in Bel Air L'other day
and | was talkin' to John Dellem-you
know John Delem, o course, every body
knows him and what's more he knows every
body, and knows more bout what land II
sell for than any other man in Hartford COun-
ty. Well, he was tellin' me bout how the
price o land had gone up-appreciated in
value, he called it-since the narrow gauge
roads been built He said there warn't a
farm for sale long the road but what they
asked about quarter more for it now. It's
true, there amt very many been sold, fol
corn and wheat so low price now people
| amt buyin' farmin' land, but there has beer
some tracts o land sold that never would ha
been sold 'cept for the railroad. But he sale
as how there's lots o buildin' lots sold round
most every station on the road, and lots o
| houses built all along il. But tell you what
he made my eyes open when he got to talkin
bout the way buildin' lots were sellin' rounC
Bel Air and The prices they are gittn' fol
'em Why, do you know he said-and HI
told who bought 'em and what they paid fol
'em too he said there had been twenty-nint
acres O. ground sold for buildin' lots rount
Bel Air since the railroad came, and it haC
brought twenty-eight thousand four hundred
dollars. What do We think o thaty He sale
it was the same way at most OF the station!
on the railroad, only the lots didn't bring ~
much, not more than four or five hundret
dollars an acre. AT Fallston, they have solo
four or five thousand dollars worth of lot
and at Highland Station bout half as much
and Delta, he said, was beatin' Bel Air"
but spOsen, and Jim threw one LEI
over the pommel of his saddle and settled
himselfto have his talk out, for he was be
ginning to warm up with his subject-"bu
sposen don't want to sell, calculate cal
nav that five hundred dollars, and max
money besides, by the railroad. You see w
are so far from a railroad that we have go
to keep good wagon team to haul our grail
to Aberdeen or Lapidum, aud it takes four
horse team about two weeks to haul out
good crop of wheat, for 1t can't make but on
trip day Now ii ! had railroad a
Churchyie could sell two horses or Civ
'em to my boy Jim, who wants to go to Cur
min, and get along very well with the othe
two when | hadn't morn two miles TO hat
to the depot Ye see the savin' in the kee
O them two hosses'd be the interest on NOR
than two thousand dollars, for man can
,, feed and tend a hoss for less than seventy
five dollars year.
"Then I've got a ten or twelve acre orchar
of as fine apples as We ever seed, but l neve
. make any thing out of EN-, for by the time
, haul 'em to Aberdeen or Havre de Grace i
! the wagon they are so bruised up they won
-. sell for any thing. Besides it takes the bes
: part of day to go and come, and can't a
: ways take the time, so the apples rot. VIII
don't make cider out of emf Well l
i, but can't sell but little for vinegar, an
when there is 80 much cider around it is a
ways temptation to the boys to drin
morn they ought. Then if had a dept